"Same here," Steve says. "In my world. Opioids are a big problem, if people get addicted. I think in some places they cause more trouble than hard drugs like cocaine."

That's not really his area of law enforcement, though.

"I guess it's a matter of striking a balance, if you have a condition that causes you pain on the regular." Steve has felt ambivalent about the changes in his body for a long time. Still does. He takes this moment to remember what it was like to be in constant pain, though, and to appreciate that at least that isn't one of his problems any longer.

The concern is touching, and Steve is about to explain when Alex drops the 'you'd make a good dad' bombshell. Ow, his heart! Don't do that, kid. Or do, actually. He looks confused for a moment, then breaks into a sunnier smile than he has as of yet. "No one's ever told me that one before," he admits. "Thanks, that's a great compliment."

He nods at the kid's logic patiently. "Well, I'll sit with you until you make up your mind. There's no hurry."

"The...uh...the reason other drugs don't work on me is I was kind of a science experiment. It was during the second World War, and I was sort of a mess, physically, between the asthma and the back pain, and the ulcers. I wanted to help, though, so I volunteered and got into a program where scientists were developing a serum to enhance human abilities. Strength, stamina, general health and resilience. It worked pretty well."

"Trouble is, now my metabolism works at something like four times the rate of anyone else's, so I process drugs and poisons fast. Which means painkillers have to be very strong before they do me any good. But I also heal very quickly, so it's not as big a problem as it sounds." Yes it is. But he doesn't want to worry the kid, either.